Friends till the End (24 page)

And it was getting late. The clock said five o’clock.

Madison and Hart had found time to hang out together more after their big talk, but neither of them mentioned Hart’s moving again.

That was a very good thing.

Madison knew that once the idea of Hart’s leaving really sank in, she would turn into a waterworks—and she certainly didn’t want to do it there in front of the whole ex-seventh-grade class. She would have to save all her tears and also her goodbyes for much later, over the phone, in person, and via e-mail. She’d think of a million other ways to tell Hart how much she would miss him. After all, who would call her Finnster from then on?

“Hey, Maddie.” Aimee came up beside Madison as they were all getting ready to leave Drew’s house. “I was thinking maybe you could come up on the roof with me. Fiona said she’d come, too.”

“What about Lindsay and Madhur?”

“They have to go home with their parents,” Aimee explained.

“So, it’s just the three of us?” Madison asked.

“The original musketeers,” Aimee said, spinning around with a savvy dance move on the grass. She really could twirl anywhere.

Fiona’s dad picked them up in front of the mansion. Chet didn’t go back with them, though. He’d decided to head over to Egg’s to play video games for a couple of hours and eat dinner with Egg’s family.

On the ride home, Madison gazed out of the window of the Waterses’ van, watching the streets and parks and stores of Far Hills pass by. It seemed hard to believe that so much could change in such a short time.

Madison saw a blond boy outside. He was riding his bike through an intersection, and for a fleeting moment, Madison thought maybe it was Will again. Of course, it wasn’t him. Will was nowhere near Far Hills just then. Madison wondered if she ever would see him again. Now that Hart was going to move away…

Stop overthinking. One day at a time.

By the time everyone got dropped off at Aimee’s house, it was six o’clock: dinnertime. Mrs. Gillespie told Mr. Waters that she’d “feed the troops” and that Fiona could spend the night, too. She called Madison’s mom, too, and asked permission to let Madison join the dinner and sleepover.

Madison and Fiona knew the invitation was a mixed blessing. It meant being served some kind of vegan, macrobiotic food, but that was okay. They’d already stuffed themselves with pigs-in-blankets, popcorn, and ice cream all day. A little brown rice and tempeh burgers wouldn’t be so bad on a junk-food tummy. Besides, the sleepover was the more important part of the night.

Aimee’s four brothers were all home for dinner that night; and they proceeded to tease Aimee and her friends mercilessly throughout the meal about being “dorky girls.” It wasn’t mean-spirited, however, and no one minded their barbs. For Aimee, of course, this was a nightly occurrence. For Fiona, too, it was second nature. After all, she lived with Chet. Although Madison had no brothers of her own, she’d gotten used to being teased after spending so much time with the four Gillespie brothers, Egg, and her other guy friends at school. In many ways, Madison Francesca Finn was
not
an only child. Not by a long shot.

After supper, Aimee led her friends up to her bedroom. She opened the window and screen and invited Madison and Fiona to climb out onto her rooftop. The air was balmy, with just a light breeze. Outside it smelled like charcoal from barbecues people were having that night in the neighborhood. Aimee sprayed insect repellent on everyone’s arms so the mosquitoes wouldn’t get them as the sun went down. Then she lit a citronella candle and they sat in a circle together.

Although it was past eight o’clock by then, it was still light outside. Madison, Aimee, and Fiona stared off at the clouds, waiting for night to come.

“So, what else did Hart say?” Aimee asked after a while.

Madison shrugged. “Not much. Uh…can we
not
talk about him?”

“Yeah,” Fiona said gently. “Let’s not talk about boys at all.”

“Who needs boys?” Aimee said.

Madison knew that Ben’s not having shown up for Drew’s party was another good reason for avoiding the boy talk. She knew Aimee was probably feeling down in the dumps a little bit herself.

“The only really dependable people in the whole universe…” Fiona started to say.

“…are girlfriends,” Madison finished. “Duh!”

Aimee smiled. “Hey, look! The moon is coming out, and it isn’t even dark yet. I love that.”

Way up in the sky, a round, white orb dangled between two clouds. But it wasn’t just any moon. That night it would be a full moon.

The “three musketeers” sat together as the sky turned darker blue, their faces illuminated by the flicker of the candle, the faint glow of the lights on the street below, and the lamp inside Aimee’s bedroom. Although they probably could have sat talking on the roof for hours about Hart, Ivy, and the promise of eighth grade, Madison and her two friends didn’t say much at all. Maybe it was because they were tired. After all, it had been a long day at Drew’s party, and an even longer week at school.

Madison thought of something Gramma Helen had said one time.

“I know you’re going to think I sound like a peanutty cluster,” Gramma Helen had mused, using one of her kookier expressions, “but people who love each other know one thing best: how to sit quietly together. Oftentimes, they know what the other person is thinking without even having to ask. One of the best parts of being a best friend is just ‘being.’”

As she remembered those words, Madison glanced at Aimee and then over at Fiona. Both of her friends gazed up at the stars in the darkening sky.

Madison’s thoughts raced. Where would the three of them be this time next year? What about the year after that? What boys would they know? What enemies would they face together? Where would they travel? What secrets would they share?

As Madison sat asking herself a zillion questions, she was sure the moment of silence wouldn’t last. Aimee would start talking, and then Fiona would join in, and then the three of them would sit there mocking Poison Ivy or a Far Hills teacher or complaining about the latest issue of
Star Beat.

But that wasn’t what happened.

Aimee didn’t say anything. Neither did Fiona. They just sat there, wordless.

One of the best parts of being a best friend is just “being.”

In that moment, that quieter-than-quiet moment, Madison knew something deep in her heart.

This friendship was the real thing.

And these three would be friends till the end of everything.

Whether you have a laptop, a PC, a cell phone, or whatever,
find new, smart, and safe ways to stay connected with all the people you care about.
Sometimes you don’t need to leave a long message. You can just say HEY, or you could ask a bunch of cool ???? (kind of like Mrs. Wing’s memory pages) and get the inside scoop. Being good @ the computer takes a lot of time (to learn stuff); discipline (knowing your Netiquette inside and out); and creativity. You have all of that—and much more. GL online—and off. :>)

Visit Madison at the author’s page,
www.lauradower.com

Author Laura Dower has a lot in common with Madison Finn: They’re both only children and they both love dogs, the color orange, and books! Laura has written more than ninety kids’ books to date, including twenty-five in the series From the Files of Madison Finn. Her other books include the new Palace Puppies series and
For Girls Only
, a guide to girl stuff. When she’s not writing, Laura loves to garden, sing (loudly), and volunteer as a scout leader for her daughter and two sons. She and her family live in New York. Want to be keypals? Drop her a note at
www.lauradower.com.

All rights reserved, including without limitation the right to reproduce this ebook or any portion thereof in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the publisher.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, events, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, businesses, companies, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

Text copyright © 2007 by Laura Dower

Cover design by Connie Gabbert

978-1-4804-2276-6

This edition published in 2014 by Open Road Integrated Media, Inc.

345 Hudson Street

New York, NY 10014

www.openroadmedia.com